Sports shoe with angle-adjustable traction members

ABSTRACT

A sports shoe includes a shoe body and a plurality of traction members. The shoe body has a sole portion and mounting seats protruding downwardly therefrom and each defining a chamber. Each traction member includes: a positioning unit mounted in the respective chamber and formed with a threaded hole; a connecting plate movably disposed in the respective chamber under the positioning unit and formed with an oval hole; a cleat disposed in the respective chamber and pivoted to the positioning unit and the connecting plate, and extending outwardly of the respective chamber, an angle of the cleat being adjusted when the connecting plate is moved relative to the positioning unit; a fastener engaging the threaded hole in the positioning unit and abutting against the connecting plate; and a locking unit for preventing relative movement between the positioning unit and the connecting plate when the fastener is tightened.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sports shoe, more particularly to a sports shoe having angle-adjustable traction members.

2. Description of the Related Art

Sports shoes with cleats are used in sports played on grass or dirt. The cleats assist in gripping the surface to thereby prevent sliding and allow for rapid directional changes. The cleats are fixed in position typically at about a right angle to the ground surface on which the sports shoes are placed.

A drawback of conventional sports shoes, however, is that different sports have different requirements, and even within a single team sport, the requirements associated with the varying player positions differ. For example, left and right outfielders in the game of baseball typically locate themselves close to the foul lines. With such positioning and due to the nature of the game, the outfielders more frequently run toward center field when chasing down a ball, rather than toward and outside of the foul lines. Hence, the left outfielder runs more often to his or her left, whereas the right outfielder runs more often to his or her right when fielding a ball. One consequence of this is that the requirements for their shoes are not the same. There is a need, therefore, for sports shoes having cleats that are adjustable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a sports shoe having angle-adjustable traction members.

It is another object of this invention to provide a sports shoe having orientation-adjustable traction members.

According to this invention, a sports shoe comprises a shoe body and a plurality of traction members. The shoe body has a sole portion with a bottom face, and a plurality of mounting seats protruding downwardly from the bottom face of the sole portion. Each of the mounting seats has a peripheral wall and a bottom wall that cooperate to define a chamber.

Each of the traction members includes: a positioning unit mounted in the chamber of a respective one of the mounting seats, the positioning unit being formed with a threaded hole centered about a vertical line, and having a bottom surface; a connecting plate disposed in the chamber of the respective one of the mounting seats under the positioning unit and movable relative to the positioning unit along a first direction perpendicular to the vertical line, the connecting plate having an upper surface facing the bottom surface of the positioning unit and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, the connecting plate being formed with an oval hole through the upper and lower surfaces, the oval hole having a length along the first direction; a cleat having a pivot connection part disposed in the chamber of the respective one of the mounting seats and pivoted to the positioning unit and the connecting plate, and a ground contacting part extending downwardly from the pivot connection part and outwardly of the chamber through the bottom wall of the respective one of the mounting seats, an angle of the cleat relative to a plane parallel to the vertical line being adjusted when the connecting plate is moved relative to the positioning unit along the first direction; a fastener passing through the bottom wall of the respective one of the mounting seats and the oval hole in the connecting plate, engaging the threaded hole in the positioning unit, and abutting tightly against the lower surface of the connecting plate; and a locking unit provided on the bottom surface of the positioning unit and the upper surface of the connecting plate for preventing movement of the connecting plate relative to the positioning unit along the first direction when the fastener is tightened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a sports shoe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a traction member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but from a slightly different angle;

FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view of the traction member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but illustrating the traction members in an altered state of angle adjustment;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating the traction member in an altered state of angle adjustment; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but illustrating the traction member in an altered state of orientation adjustment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a sports shoe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe body 10 and a plurality of traction members 1.

The shoe body 10 has a sole portion 11 with a bottom face 111, and a plurality of mounting seats 12 protruding downwardly from the bottom face 111 of the sole portion 11. The sole portion 11 and the mounting seats 12 may be made of a plastic material. Each of the mounting seats 12 has a peripheral wall 14 and a bottom wall 121 that cooperate to define a chamber 13. The bottom wall 121 of each of the mounting seats 12 is formed with an access hole 15 and a limiting hole 16.

Each of the traction members 1 includes a positioning unit 20, a connecting plate 30, a cleat 50, a fastener 40, and a first locking unit 25.

The positioning unit 20 is mounted in the chamber 13 of a respective one of the mounting seats 12. In this embodiment, the positioning unit 20 includes a fixed plate 60, a grip plate 70, a second locking unit 27, and a first resilient member 80.

The fixed plate 60 is secured fixedly to the sole portion 11, and has a top face 61, a bottom face 62, and a side surface 67 interconnecting the top and bottom faces 61,62. The fixed plate 60 is formed with a threaded hole 63 which is centered about a vertical line (L). The fixed plate 60 may include a plurality of protrusions 68 extending outwardly from the side surface 67 and each formed with an aperture 65 therethrough. The plastic material of the sole portion 11 may enter the apertures 65 in the protrusions 68 during manufacture to better secure the fixed plate 60 to the sole portion 11.

The grip plate 70 is disposed under the fixed plate 60, and has a bottom surface 72 and a top surface 71 opposite to the bottom surface 72. The grip plate 70 is formed with a through hole 73 through the top and bottom surfaces 71,72.

The second locking unit 27 is provided on the bottom face 62 of the fixed plate 60 and the top surface 71 of the grip plate 70. The second locking unit 27 prevents rotational movement of the grip plate 70 relative to the fixed plate 60 and about the vertical line (L) when the grip plate 70 abuts tightly against the fixed plate 60 upon tightening the fastener 40. The operation of the second locking unit 27, particularly as it relates to manipulation of the fastener 40, will become apparent from the description to follow.

In this embodiment, the second locking unit 27 includes first grip members 64 formed on the bottom face 62 of the fixed plate 60 about the threaded hole 63, and second grip members 74 formed on the top surface 71 of the grip plate 70 about the through hole 73. The second grip members 74 engage the first grip members 64 when the fastener 40 is tightened. In this embodiment, the first grip members 64 are formed as teeth that extend in radial directions relative to the vertical line (L), and the second grip members 74 are formed as grooves that extend in radial directions relative to the vertical line (L). Alternatively, the first grip members 64 may be formed as grooves and the second grip members 74 as teeth.

The first resilient member 80 is interposed between the fixed plate 60 and the grip plate 70, and applies a continuous biasing force to the grip plate 70 in a direction away from the fixed plate 60. In this embodiment, the first resilient member 80 is configured as a coiled compression spring.

In this embodiment, the fixed plate 60 is further formed with a first counterbore 66 under the threaded hole 63 and that is concentric with and larger than the threaded hole 63 to thereby form a shoulder 66′ between the first counterbore 66 and the threaded hole 63. Similarly, the grip plate 70 is further formed with a second counterbore 77 above the through hole 73 and that is concentric with and larger than the through hole 73 to thereby form a shoulder 77′ between the second counterbore 77 and the through hole 73. The first and second counterbores 66,77 in the fixed plate 60 and the grip plate 70 are substantially aligned in a vertical direction to thereby form a void 95 (see FIG. 1), and the first resilient member 80 is disposed in the void 95.

The connecting plate 30 is disposed in the chamber 13 of the respective one of the mounting seats 12 under the positioning unit 20. The connecting plate 30 is movable relative to grip plate 70 along a first direction (X) perpendicular to the vertical line (L). The connecting plate 30 has an upper surface 31 facing the bottom surface 72 of the grip plate 70, and a lower surface 32 opposite to the upper surface 31. In addition, the connecting plate 30 is formed with an oval hole 33 through the upper and lower surfaces 31,32, in which the oval hole 33 has a length along the first direction (X). The cleat 50 has a pivot connection part 55 disposed in the chamber 13 of the respective one of the mounting seats 12 and pivoted to the grip plate 70 and the connecting plate 30, and a ground contacting part 52 extending downwardly from the pivot connection part 55 and outwardly of the chamber 13 through the limiting hole 16 in the bottom wall 121 of the respective one of the mounting seats 12. An angle of the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50 relative to a plane parallel to the vertical line (L) is adjusted when the connecting plate 30 is moved relative to the grip plate 70 along the first direction (X).

It is to be noted that the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50 is not limited to the shape as shown in the drawings. For example, the ground contacting part 52 may be narrow and pointed to thereby be formed as a spike.

The threaded hole 63 in the fixed plate 60, the through hole 73 in the grip plate 70, and at least a portion of the oval hole 33 in the connecting plate 30 are aligned vertically with the access hole 15 in the bottom wall 121 of the respective one of the mounting seats 12. The fastener 40 passes through the access hole 15 in the bottom wall 121 of the respective one of the mounting seats 12, the oval hole 33 in the connecting plate 30, and the through hole 73 in the grip plate 70, engages the threaded hole 63 in the fixed plate 60, and abuts tightly against the lower surface 32 of the connecting plate 30. In this embodiment, the fastener 40 is configured as a bolt having a threaded shaft 41 passed through the access hole 15, the oval hole 33, and the through hole 73 to engage the threaded hole 63, and a head 42 that abuts against the lower surface 32 of the connecting plate 30.

The first locking unit 25 is provided on the bottom surface 72 of the grip plate 70 and the upper surface 31 of the connecting plate 30 for preventing movement of the connecting plate 30 relative to the grip plate 70 along the first direction (X) when the fastener 40 is tightened.

In this embodiment, the first locking unit 25 includes first catch members 75 disposed on the bottom surface 72 of the grip plate 70, and second catch members 34 disposed on the upper surface 31 of the connecting plate 30 and engaging the first catch members 75 when the fastener 40 is tightened. In this embodiment, the first and second catch members 75,34 are formed as teeth extending respectively along a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction (X) and the vertical line (L).

In this embodiment, each of the traction members 1 further includes a second resilient member 90 interposed between the grip plate 70 and the connecting plate 30. The second resilient member 90 applies a continuous biasing force to the connecting plate 30 in a direction away from the grip plate 70. As an example, the resilient member 90 may be a torsion spring having two arms 91,92 that abut respectively against the bottom surface 72 of the grip plate 70 and the upper surface 31 of the connecting plate 30.

In this embodiment, the grip plate 70 includes a first coupling part 76 disposed to one side of the through hole 73, and the connecting plate 30 includes a second coupling part 35 disposed to one side of the oval hole 33. The pivot connection part 55 of the cleat 50 includes a first pivot connection 51 coupled pivotally to the first coupling part 76 and a second pivot connection 53 coupled pivotally to the second coupling part 35. The second pivot connection 53 is disposed between the first pivot connection 51 and the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50. The first and second coupling parts 76,35, and the pivot connection part 55 are registered with the limiting hole 16.

In this embodiment, the limiting hole 16 has a width along the first direction (X) that is greater than a thickness of the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50 along the first direction (X), and the limiting hole 16 has a length along the second direction (Y) that is greater than a width of the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50 along the second direction (Y).

When it is desired to adjust the angle of the cleat 50 from the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fastener 40 is loosened, and aided by the biasing force of the second resilient member 90, the connecting plate 30 is slightly distanced from the grip plate 70 such that the second catch members 34 are disengaged from the first catch members 75. In this state, the ground contacting part 52 of the cleat 50 may be pulled to pivot outwardly, which, in turn, shifts the connecting plate 30 relative to the grip plate 70 along the first direction (X). Although not shown in the drawings, the ground contacting part 52 may also be pivoted inwardly. Through the presence of the oval hole 33 in the connecting plate 30, the fastener 40 does not block movement of the connecting plate 30. Further, since the limiting hole 16 has a width along the first direction (X) that is greater than the thickness of the cleat 50 along the first direction (X), the cleat 50 is able to freely pivot in the limiting hole 16 at this time. The limiting hole 16 may be varied in size as desired to vary, in turn, the maximum angular adjustment of the cleat 50.

After adjusting the cleat 50 to a desired angle, the fastener 40 is tightened such that the second catch members 34 once again engage the first catch members 75. Hence, the cleat 50 is fixed in position at the desired angle.

When it is desired to adjust the orientation of the cleat 50 from the state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG. 7, the fastener 40 is loosened, and aided by the biasing force of the first resilient member 80, the grip plate 70 is slightly distanced from the fixed plate 60 such that the second grip members 74 are disengaged from the first grip members 64. In this state, the cleat 50 may be manipulated by the user to rotate the assembly of the connecting plate 30 and the grip plate 70 relative to the fixed plate 60, thereby changing the orientation of the cleat 50. Since the limiting hole 16 has a length along the second direction (Y) that is greater than the width of the cleat 50 along the second direction (Y), the cleat 50 is able to be freely rotated within the limiting hole 16. The limiting hole 16 may be varied in size as desired to vary, in turn, the maximum orientation adjustment of the cleat 50.

After adjusting the cleat 50 to a desired orientation, the fastener 40 is tightened such that the second grip members 74 once again engage the first grip members 64. Hence, the cleat 50 is fixed in position at the desired orientation.

Therefore, the user is able to make adjustments to the angle and orientation of the cleat 50 of the traction member 1. Further, such adjustment is easily performed by simply loosening the fastener 40, manipulating the cleat 50, and tightening the fastener 40. Hence, the objects of the present invention are achieved.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A sports shoe, comprising: a shoe body having a sole portion with a bottom face, and a plurality of mounting seats protruding downwardly from said bottom face of said sole portion, each of said mounting seats having a peripheral wall and a bottom wall that cooperate to define a chamber; and a plurality of traction members each including a positioning unit mounted in said chamber of a respective one of said mounting seats, said positioning unit being formed with a threaded hole centered about a vertical line, and having a bottom surface, a connecting plate disposed in said chamber of the respective one of said mounting seats under said positioning unit and movable relative to said positioning unit along a first direction perpendicular to the vertical line, said connecting plate having an upper surface facing said bottom surface of said positioning unit and a lower surface opposite to said upper surface, said connecting plate being formed with an oval hole through said upper and lower surfaces, said oval hole having a length along the first direction, a cleat having a pivot connection part disposed in said chamber of the respective one of said mounting seats and pivoted to said positioning unit and said connecting plate, and a ground contacting part extending downwardly from said pivot connection part and outwardly of said chamber through said bottom wall of the respective one of said mounting seats, an angle of said cleat relative to a plane parallel to the vertical line being adjusted when said connecting plate is moved relative to said positioning unit along the first direction, a fastener passing through said bottom wall of the respective one of said mounting seats and said oval hole in said connecting plate, engaging said threaded hole in said positioning unit, and abutting tightly against said lower surface of said connecting plate, and a first locking unit provided on said bottom surface of said positioning unit and said upper surface of said connecting plate for preventing movement of said connecting plate relative to said positioning unit along the first direction when said fastener is tightened.
 2. The sports shoe of claim 1, wherein said positioning unit includes: a fixed plate secured fixedly to said sole portion, formed with said threaded hole, and having top and bottom faces; a grip plate disposed under said fixed plate, connected pivotally to said pivot connection part of said cleat, and having said bottom surface and a top surface opposite to said bottom surface; and a second locking unit provided on said bottom face of said fixed plate and said top surface of said grip plate for preventing rotational movement of said grip plate relative to said fixed plate and about the vertical line when said fastener is tightened.
 3. The sports shoe of claim 2, wherein said grip plate is formed with a through hole through said top and bottom surfaces, said second locking unit including first grip members formed on said bottom face of said fixed plate about said threaded hole, and second grip members formed on said top surface of said grip plate about said through hole, said second grip members engaging said first grip members when said fastener is tightened.
 4. The sports shoe of claim 3, wherein said first and second grip members comprise complementary teeth and grooves that extend in radial directions relative to the vertical line.
 5. The sports shoe of claim 2, wherein said positioning unit further includes a resilient member interposed between said fixed plate and said grip plate, said resilient member applying a continuous biasing force to said grip plate in a direction away from said fixed plate.
 6. The sports shoe of claim 2, wherein said bottom wall of each of said mounting seats is formed with an access hole and a limiting hole, said threaded hole in said positioning unit and at least a portion of said oval hole in said connecting plate being aligned vertically with said access hole, said fastener passing through said access hole, said ground contacting part of said cleat passing through said limiting hole.
 7. The sports shoe of claim 6, wherein said limiting hole has a width along the first direction that is greater than a thickness of said ground contacting part of said cleat along the first direction.
 8. The sports shoe of claim 7, wherein said limiting hole has a length along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the vertical line that is greater than a width of said ground contacting part of said cleat along the second direction.
 9. The sports shoe of claim 1, wherein said first locking unit includes first catch members disposed on said bottom surface of said positioning unit, and second catch members disposed on said upper surface of said connecting plate and engaging said first catch members when said fastener is tightened.
 10. The sports shoe of claim 9, wherein said first and second catch members comprise teeth extending respectively along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the vertical line.
 11. The sports shoe of claim 1, wherein said positioning unit includes a first coupling part disposed to one side of said threaded hole, said connecting plate includes a second coupling part disposed to one side of said oval hole, and said pivot connection part of said cleat includes a first pivot connection coupled pivotally to said first coupling part and a second pivot connection coupled pivotally to said second coupling part, said second pivot connection being disposed between said first pivot connection and said ground contacting part of said cleat.
 12. The sports shoe of claim 1, wherein each of said traction members further includes a resilient member interposed between said positioning unit and said connecting plate, said resilient member applying a continuous biasing force to said connecting plate in a direction away from said positioning unit. 